


Like A Wombat Out Of Water

by Lopaka_Tanu



Category: Alien Nation, House M.D.
Genre: Alien Cultural Differences, Gen, Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-25
Updated: 2012-01-25
Packaged: 2017-10-30 02:32:13
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/326794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lopaka_Tanu/pseuds/Lopaka_Tanu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His first visit to the alien side of town leads to trouble. Typical day for Robert Chase.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like A Wombat Out Of Water

Red light flashed through the window, falling over his face. The lazy pace of on and off drew the eye of passersby to the sign. Even now, his own were drawn to the glowing tubes filled with Neon gas.

He had never known what the squiggles and dots meant before. They had never interested him. Robert suspected that was about to change.

Letting the curtain fall back over the window, he turned to glance about the sparsely decorated hotel room. It appeared to be just another in a long string of them. Only the patterns to the wall paper and bedclothes had changed.

There were a few of his clothes strewn about, mostly just what he had stripped off from work. He hadn't much cared what he did with them at the time. The need to get out of them had been too great. Robert wanted nothing more to do with his work persona, Dr. Chase.

He snorted.

Leave it to being fired for him to finally develop a mental disorder. Putting a hand in his jacket pocket, he shrugged the leather. May be it wasn't a mental disorder, he just had a secret identity. After working for House for four years, it was no wonder.

That was also probably a strong argument for why he had transferred out to Los Angeles. Well, that and natural curiosity. Who wouldn't want to explore this strange world if given the chance?

Speaking of which... He glanced over his shoulder at the window again. There was only one way to do this. Well, there were many ways to go about it. His training only made it seem like he had one obvious route.

Heading for the door, he took a calming breath. Time to jump in feet first.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

His first encounter with Little Tencton tonight was the smell. It was a pervasive stench that seemed to cling to everything. That didn't come from the people or their clothes. No, what made him hesitate and try to hold his breath at the building's threshold was the passing street vendor.

Blocking all views beyond the sidewalk, it was a lumbering street cart that wouldn't have looked out of place in a bazaar. Its shelves were loaded down with baskets. The small animals inside squeaked and tried desperately to get out.

Only one main difference separated this cart from those else where. In the center was a large cutting block with basins and knives. The large New Comer man behind the handle, dressed in a red and white striped apron, was selling dinner. He smiled at the passing men and women as he headed up the street.

Just the thought of it made Robert's stomach turn. He faced cutting people open on a daily basis. Yet, never once was he tempted with having a taste before sewing them shut.

Most of the people he could see were Humans. This far from the alien ghetto it wasn't a surprise. On the edge of the tourist zone, they came here for the thrill of perceived danger. It was all an illusion, he knew, because the New Comers had more to fear from them. Still, it was good for business, so the locals fostered the idea with a smile.

Stepping out on the sidewalk, Robert was glad of his jacket. It gave him the delusion of body armor. This was something to protect him from the unfriendlier sorts that also frequented this area. Speaking of which, he passed another tourist attraction.

Standing in front of his hotel, three New Comer women were dressed in little more than bras and skirts. They had their backs partially turned to the passing tourists. This displayed their spots for interested customers.

Robert wasn't afraid to admit that he found his eyes tracking the patterns more than once. They were unusual, even for his experience.

People walking by jostled him. It was crowded for this early in the evening. Pausing to let an elder female pass him, he wondered if there was something special going on. The smell of clabbered milk on her breath nearly gagged him.

That was another unpleasant stench that inhabited this area. When it was the only form of intoxicant for half the population, it was bound to be everywhere.

Breathing through his mouth, he took them smaller, safer. Living here was definitely different than New Jersey. It was going to take some getting used to, but he knew that it wouldn't be that hard.

~~~~~~~~~

His skin was flushed as he stepped out in the cool night air. The hint of moisture was on the tip of his tongue. Back in Princeton-Plainsboro, that would have signaled an impending storm. Here, he shrugged, who knew?

After a few drinks, he felt ready to take on the world proper. Of course, their combined alcohol total had been less than that of domestic beer. Still, he was feeling pleasant. Grinning, Robert tugged up the collar of his jacket.

The streets were more alive now that a hour had past. There were more people, but fewer shamblers. This crowd was geared up for partying, he could feel it.

Smile on his face, he glanced up and down the boulevard. There were plenty of flashing lights to get his attention. Some offered nude girls, some offered nude men, others just offered something. Robert frowned as his vision swam.

Okay, so may be there had been a little more alcohol than he thought.

Never mind! It was early and he was in the mood to explore. That nice Tenctonese Doctor had told him this was the place to be. People here were more willing to be open to his curiosity.

It wasn't like he was a pervert or anything, no. Far from it in fact. He just wanted to know. A medical curiosity, to be precise. He had used that line on her, and she had smirked at him. Seemed women from both species could see right through his lies.

Thinking of that reminded him, he had to call Cameron tonight. She was waiting back in Princeton...something. She had been opposed to his transfer. She said it would take forever for the medical board to approve his license out here.

She had been wrong, of course, it had only taken four weeks. It normally took only a couple. Robert had the distinct feeling House had been involved in the delay.

The world swayed as he took a step. Reaching out, he caught himself on the edge of the building. He looked up to see how far he had gotten from the bar. Frowning, he realized he was still in the doorway.

So may be there had been a high proof rating. Not that he noticed with all that damn fruit juice in it. Licking his lips, he tried to figure out what exactly that had been from the taste in his mouth. He could detect pineapple and coconut, but everything else was too weak.

He frowned again. There shouldn't have been that much alcohol in it! The menu had been for Tenctonese drinks, alcohol didn't effect them one way or the other. They only drank beer for the pleasant fizz and the flavor. He knew that because the nice Tenctonese stripper that took his money liked to talk.

Okay, he was definitely drunk. But, that, that was okay. He could handle it, just this once. Not like he did it every day, he had some self control. Just a tiny bit.

Blinking, Robert realized that he had his thumb and index finger up in front of his face. His mouth was open and dry. That meant he had been talking without realizing it. Definitely a bad sign.

A snort came off from the right.

Turning to see who would dare think that was funny made the world spin. His eyes automatically fell shut as he fell back against the bricks. Dizzy, he groaned. It took a monumental effort, but he was able to keep his drinks down.

Unfortunately, the annoyance didn't go away. "How many drinks have you had tonight, pal?"

"I'm not drunk." The words were out of his mouth before he could even think of what to say. Of course, from the way he slurred them, it was a total lie.

"Yeah, I'll believe that one."

Another person snickered. "Just grab him and read his rights."

That caused Robert's eyes to pop open. Stinging pain filled his eyes, causing them to water. He blinked several times to adjust them until he could see clearly.

A broad figure was coming towards him. For a moment he thought his eyes were deceiving him. Then he saw clearly and realized it wasn't an illusion. There were two uniformed cops in front of him. He frowned with disbelief. "You're one of them."

The broad figure stopped. His arms flexed under the cloth of the uniform as his eyes narrowed. "One of who?"

"You're a New Comer." A bubble of emotions worked its way up inside of Robert. His lips twisted in to a grin and he began to chuckle. "You're a Tentonese police officer."

Jaw clenching, the man grabbed Robert by the arm. "Come on, wiseass." He jerked the doctor away from the brick wall with more force than strictly necessary.

The loss of his support sent the man stumbling. Free arm pinwheeling, his eyes tried to bug out of his head. "Whoa!" The world spun out of control as he found himself falling to the sidewalk. "The Earth is moving! Are we experiencing an Earthquake?"

Laughter filled the night, drowning out the crack of police radios.

Robert had the sinking feeling that things weren't going to turn out all right. So much for exploring Little Tencton. Closing his eyes, he pressed his face in to the cool cement. It felt so good he didn't even care about the pebble under his cheekbone.

"Why do I always get stupid ones?" The first officer mumbled something and punctuated it with a click. This sent a few others to snickering. "You have the right to remain silent."

There was pain in Robert's shoulders as his arms were cuffed behind his back. This was quickly followed by sweet relief in the form of unconsciousness.

 

THE END.......................

**Author's Note:**

> No Wombats were hurt in the making of this fic.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own House M.D. or Alien Nation.


End file.
